Traders of Bidhan Market take out protest rally

Siliguri: Traders in Siliguri’s Bidhan Market once again staged a protest seeking ownership of their shops.

On Friday, traders, including the Bidhan Market Traders Association, took out a bike rally in Siliguri, voicing this demand.

They then submitted a deputation to the Chairman of Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA).

“This market is one of the important markets in the city. However, control for this market has been repeatedly delegated to different departments of the state. As a result, we are concerned about our future. We want complete ownership of our shops. This is a long-standing demand. We have carried out repeated protests with this demand, but the matter is yet not resolved. Therefore, once again we have raised our demand,” said Bapi Saha, the secretary of the Bidhan Market Traders Association.

Traders complained that when this market was built, the then-Chief Minister Bidhan Chandra Roy gave the traders space in this market. The responsibility of the market was thereafter transferred to the Refugee Relief and Rehabilitation department. This department gave Patta to a few businessmen at the time.

The traders started to protest in April in 2023. Since then, they have staged several demonstrations.

Meanwhile, the SJDA Chairman already held meetings with the traders. He assured all kinds of help to the businessmen.